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June 7, 2007 |
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UPCOMING MBTA
EVENTS |
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Transportation Bond Vote
Tuesday, June
12
Washington County Meeting
Thursday,
June 14
Eastport
Chowder House Eastport
5 p.m.
Infrastructure Golf Tournament
Thursday, July 12
Augusta Country
Club
9 a.m.
Aroostook County Meeting
Thursday, August 2
Northeastland Hotel, Presque Isle
5 pm
Fall Convention
Friday, September 14-16
Samoset Resort, Rockport
For more information,
contact the MBTA at (207) 622-0526
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LD 1790 – the
only plan to fix Maine’s transportation funding
crisis |
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The Maine Legislature will soon consider a
pioneering piece of legislation created by MBTA and sponsored by
Senator Dennis Damon (Hancock County). L.D. 1790, An Act to
Secure Maine’s Transportation Future, sets goals to modernize
our interstate system, reconstruct our arterial highways and major
collectors, and replace, remove, and rehabilitate extraordinary
bridges.
What does LD 1790
do?
For the first time, the Legislature has been asked
to set comprehensive measurable goals to guide transportation
capital investment. What makes this legislation groundbreaking
is that the goals are supported by two financing mechanisms created
under the Maine Municipal Bond Bank:
- GARVEE bond authority, financed by FHWA receipts,
to reconstruct, rehabilitate or replace bridges and
arterials;
- A new TransCap Trust Fund grant and loan
authority to advance the same goals but funded with dedicated
streams of both General Fund and Highway Fund
revenue.
The revenue dedicated to the TransCap Fund
includes:
- Reallocated highway funds through a gradual
reduction of Highway Fund support for the State Police. [A
legislative oversight office, OPEGA, issued a report in February
indicating the Highway Fund has been paying far more than its fair
share of the State Police. The General Fund, which had a 7.8%
increase to its budget, should pay its fair share].
- Transferred Highway Fund dollars equal to 7.5% of
motor fuel tax revenues;
- Modest registration fee increases, some of which
have not been adjusted in nearly 20 years;
- A phased-in set-aside of General Fund revenues
equal to 20% of transportation-related sales tax
receipts.
- New revenue set aside in the STAR account to
support alternate modes of transportation, including current auto
rental tax receipts and 10% of the transportation-related sales
tax set-aside. This stream of revenue could total $12 million per
year.
Each of these revenue streams would flow to the
TransCap Trust Fund as of July 1, 2009 and would eventually total
$98 million per year.
Why is LD 1790 so
important?
Maine has a highway funding crisis, and LD 1790 is
the only vehicle that develops a plan to address the crisis.
There has been a great deal of discussion about the need, the
problem, and the inflation that has crippled costs, but LD 1790 is
the only vision put forward to address the crisis.
The Transportation Committee recently voted out
the Highway Fund budget, LD 781, with a unanimous vote. The
budget reduces capital spending for the biennium by $28.5 million
(from $96 million to $67.6 million) meaning this next biennial
budget will fund even fewer projects than the current budget – even
before you factor in inflation. Clearly, this will put the state
even further behind in meeting our needs, so something needs to be
done.
LD 1790 is an important step toward a long-term
solution to Maine’s transportation funding crisis. Again, it is
the only effort underway that works to establish a stable source of
funding for Maine’s transportation network.
We
ask all MBTA members to contact their legislators and encourage them
to support the majority vote of the Transportation Committee on
LD 1790. It is time for Maine to have a
comprehensive, long term, transportation capital investment strategy
backed by the financial resources necessary to make it happen.
Let your legislators know how the
transportation funding crisis has affected you. Below
is a link to find your legislators, as well as the phone numbers at
the State House. If you are a constituent, you should always feel
free to contact your legislators at home, too. Find your legislator.
State House Phone
Numbers:
Message line for House members:
1-800-423-2900
Message line for Senate
members:1-800-423-6900
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Reminder: June 12th is Election Day – Vote
YES on #1 |
On Tuesday, Maine citizens will vote on
two bond issues, the first one being the $112.9 million
transportation bond on the statewide ballot. Turnout on
Tuesday is expected to be extremely low, and is sure to draw
citizens who are concerned about government spending, so it is
crucial that supporters get to the polls on Tuesday and encourage
their friends and family to Vote YES on #1. Passage of
Question #1 is critical to funding MaineDOT’s two-year capital work
plan, a plan that restores some of the $200 million in projects cut
over the past two years. If the bond fails, the state will get
even further behind in keeping pace with its needs. Question #1
leverages over $250 million in federal and local funds, and supports
8,000 jobs statewide. For more information, click on
www.keepmainemoving.org or call the MBTA at 622-0526.
Thank
you! | |
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